It has been over 320 days since most MMSD students stepped foot into a school building. Attendance is down, motivation is down, grades are down and depression amongst teens has skyrocketed. Based on your own specific metrics and phased approach to reopening, it's very possible high school students will not see the classroom until next fall. Instead of grouping extra curricular activities with the reopening of all schools, and in order to speed the transition back to school,  MMSD parents and students call for the immediate reinstatement of school based athletics and extracurriculars (clubs, arts etc). This petition is full of information we implore you to consider to help the mental health crisis we are seeing in our high schoolers, to stop the increased problem with privilege that has been created, and to give our kids a lifeline that offers the safe, in-person true connection that they are in deep need of. We want MMSD to stop telling us why they can’t offer a lifeline to our kids and to start looking at HOW they CAN.

PHMDC GUIDELINES

• Low risk sport competition ALLOWED
• Gymnasiums at 50% capacity ALLOWED
• Indoor practices up to 10 people, masked with social distancing ALLOWED
• Outdoor practices up to 25 people, masked with social distancing ALLOWED
• Outdoor gatherings up to 50 people, masked with  social distancing ALLOWED
• MMSD courts and fields are OPEN to the public

STATISTICS

• Even as all Dane county schools are transitioning back and sports and activities have resumed, the 14 day average number of cases is down 18.9%. (According to the 1/28/21 PHMDC dashboard)
• State and local news media and local health data has not reported widespread outbreaks or surges linked to High School or Club sports.
• A Study from the University of Wisconsin suggests that the state’s high school sports have not caused an increase in COVID-19 infections among athletes. UW Study: High School Sports DO NOT increase the spread of COVID-19
• A separate study from the University of Wisconsin suggests that the cancellation of High School sports has taken a significant toll on the mental health and well-being of students. It states that two-thirds of High School athletes reported feelings of anxiety and depression at levels that would typically require medical intervention. https://www.uwhealth.org/news/more-than-two-thirds-of-high-school-athletes-report-anxiety-and-depression-since-pandemic/53429
• The WIAA has issued extensive Return to Play guidelines (updated on Dec. 14th) that have allowed for the safe participation in indoor winter sports for most school districts in Wisconsin and all school districts in Dane County are following this except MMSD.

BENEFITS to consider:

• Extra-curricular activities give kids a lifeline.They need connection, physical activity, positive adult role models, socialization & purpose now more than ever.
• Accountability - as studies would show, many kids are suffering academically. Having a coach that cares and is connected to them reminds them that they matter.
• Scholarship -so many students have lost the opportunity to go to college for a reduced or free rate because their scholarships have been taken away/ not offered since they haven’t been able to perform in a sport. This is again a lifeline for so many kids who attend MMSD.
• Physical activity- we can’t even begin to explain the extent of this. Kids are staying in bed all day long, never changing out of pajamas, not moving, and having zero reason to move. Even online physical education classes are doing nothing to get them moving. This is supposed to be something the district teaches. Sports do this easily and effortlessly. Having kids come in for physical education classes would do the same!
• Mental health. Look no further than what is happening in Las Vegas. Rest assured this is happening in Madison! The mental Health aspect that is helped by physical activities, clubs that give you a purpose, and any kind of small group connection that this community can offer goes without saying. May we not have to get to a point where we had suicide statistics to prove this to you. 

DOWNSIDE OF NOT REINSTATING EXTRACURRICULARS

• Club sports -  As a district, you are reinforcing privilege, exclusion and inequity.  Those who can afford to join leagues that can play sports and travel, are doing so.  Those who could have had a lifeline to something the school would provide are suffering greatly and dying in your presence!   You owe it to these students to find ways to look outside of the box. The athletic department’s decision to do everything or nothing (we can only have sports if we are in school physically ~even though we are in school but it’s been forced to be “virtual”) is absolutely ridiculous in terms of advocating for these students!
• Retention/ Future Participation  Those of us who have freshmen are hearing consistently that they are not going to be involved if they are forced to go back to school. These kids do not have the social skills nor the connection to want to be involved in anything once schools are open. Sports/ clubs and other extra curricular activities should be something that allows them to connect, engage & have purpose. Their classes are not doing so because they are not on video and are very rarely engaged with each other or teachers.
• Losing students- those who can afford to and have means are enrolling in different districts 

Like every parent, our focus is on our children’s education, and that education not only includes what they learn inside a classroom but also outside of it. MMSD has always recognized and supported the importance of High School Athletics and other extra curricular activities as an extension of the classroom. This is not about following the crowd and doing what everyone else is doing. This is about doing what is right for our MMSD students. It is about allowing them the opportunities to become the best version of themselves as expressed in the MMSD Athletics mission statement below, which encompasses so much of what parents, coaches, teachers, mentors want to instill in our children.

"The Madison Metropolitan School District Athletics Program is considered an integral part of the secondary educational program. Our vision is that MMSD athletics provides equitable programming opportunities that support the District’s vision to prepare all students for college, career, and community. Athletics play an integral role in community building and identity of Madison schools and support the development of commitment, reliability, honesty, integrity, accountability, and perseverance in each of our student athletes. Through participation in co-curricular athletics programs, students strive to become better students, athletes, leaders, and citizens. Our purpose is to provide unique educational experiences that will contribute to the development of better citizens. Emphasis is upon the teaching "through" athletics in addition to teaching the "skills of" athletics."

We understand the complexity of reopening a large, diverse district like ours. 26,000 students, 4000+ staff, 48 schools. It requires students/staff to be inside buildings, in smaller spaces for long periods of time. So there is a lot to consider, coordinate and plan for. However, HS athletics and other extra-curricular activities involve a much smaller amount of students, a much shorter amount of time together and with the majority of sports, students would be outside with ample room to space 6 ft apart or more, plus masks could still be worn. No expert would argue that these two scenarios pose anywhere near the same level of risk. So why is the athletics decision solely dependent on allowing an entire district of students back in the classroom? What is the rationale for stating that all students need to be in a higher-risk indoor activity in order to participate in a low-risk, safer outdoor activity? It has been proven time and again by health experts and scientific evidence that being outdoors, distanced 6 ft apart, as much as possible, drastically reduces the risk of spread. So again, why require students to be inside before they can do activities outside? 

We understand the premise of education-based athletics and that they are an extension of the classroom. However, nowhere does it specifically state or define where that “classroom” must be. Although learning at home, these students ARE in school. Attendance is taken, assignments must be completed, tests are given, grades are assigned, GPAs are calculated. Students athletes are still fulfilling all of the same requirements to participate in athletics as they would be if they were attending class in a building. To continue to say extra-curriculars can’t happen because they are not “in school” degrades and undermines the education model they are currently learning in. This should not be a situation where we use an "all or nothing" model; doing so is literally taking a lifeline away from these students  They need something to hold onto.  Something to connect with.  They need a PURPOSE and in refusing to offer a chance for students to gather safely IN PERSON through athletics or clubs, you are not serving their intense needs right now.

For most sports, roster sizes are essentially the same, regardless of the size of the district so why is MMSD holding to their statement that we cannot do what smaller areas are doing? This may be true for school but has no weight in the argument of sports and clubs that are the same size. When you break down the enrollment of other HS within the state and our own county, each MMSD High School has similar enrollment numbers to schools such as Middleton, Sun Prairie, Verona, Stevens Point and Arrowhead, all of which are participating in HS sports. While one could argue schools should not travel outside of Dane County to compete, what is the rationale for not allowing MMSD students to at least participate in the activities that are currently ALLOWED within Dane County by PHMDC? For example, practicing in small groups for low, medium and high risk sports, and low-risk sport competitions. And although some may think other districts have chosen to go against current public health guidance, there is also no evidence that the return to athletics from area schools are causing a rise in community spread or an increase in cases, especially in kids ages 12-17. In fact, evidence points to the contrary as Dane County numbers have continued to improve in the past weeks despite a return to athletics and additional in-person classes. The current 14-day positivity rate is 2.7%. Well below the 5% threshold set by PHMDC. The percentage of active cases in Dane County is down to 5% of all cases. And the 7-day average of cases in Dane County for kids ages 12-17 is currently at 7.71. (According to the PHMDC blog from 1/28: There was a significant decrease in cases during this 14-day period and a significant increase in the number of tests conducted. Percent positivity is at its lowest level since August. Dane County’s 14-day average number of cases is 135 per day, down from 172 last week’s snapshot.)

PHMDC has stated since last May, certain aspects of sports can occur. With the exception of the one month order in December, that prohibited inside gatherings of any size, not once in the last 8 months has PHMDC increased any of their restrictions for sports due to increased risk or outbreaks. In fact, they have changed their rules recently to allow more activities to occur.  

The reality is sports are still happening, including teams with students from MMSD. By refusing to start re-engaging students in smaller numbers through athletics and other clubs, you are reinforcing privilege!  The families who can afford to send their children to traveling teams are doing so and the kids who need the opportunity that schools provide, are left behind again. This, as you know is a large percent of MMSD students who can not afford to participate outside of the school's offerings. Why does MMSD continue to force students to go outside their HS athletic programs and outside the county to participate in athletics? We continue to lose families every year to private schools and suburban districts. The longer this continues, even more families will choose to leave. No extra curriculars, like athletics, also impacts students’ lives beyond HS. The simple fact is, no athletics decreases the college scholarship opportunities for students. Having no clubs or art/drama offerings on top of this affects another huge group of students!

All of the other counties outside of Dane County have no public health restrictions regarding sports and indoor gatherings, yet schools continue to be open, sports continue to happen and the overall case counts and positivity rates in the state overall continue to improve. Hospitalizations are down. Cases are down. Positivity rates are down. All of this has occurred during the winter sports season. It is easy to estimate at least 25,000+ student athletes have been participating in HS sports in the fall and winter seasons. While there have been teams who have needed to pause due to Covid safety protocols set forth by the WIAA, sports did not entirely get shut down, schools have not all had to close indefinitely, hospitals are not overwhelmed. So even without county-wide restrictions, there is no evidence to support widespread transmission is occuring due to HS athletics or being in-person for school. In fact, there is a recent study conducted in Wisconsin that supports schools are not resulting in widespread transmission in schools or the community.

MMSD has expressed it is their mission to think outside the box and reimagine how things should be, not necessarily the way they have always been to determine the “new normal”. Why is that only a goal for the distant future and not one that can start right now? Our students have continued to make sacrifices every day. They have been out of the MMSD classrooms for nearly a year. For some kids, their school feels more like home to them than their actual physical home. They have waited anxiously for something to change, something to give them hope. And we as parents, continue to witness firsthand every day the toll the lack of school and activities is taking on our children. We trust MMSD could provide a safe place for our students to start at least some in-person extra curricular activities (ie. practices, drills, weight lifting). It’s time to finally start offering students something they have lost instead of continuing to add to the list of losses. These students are suffering greatly and their mental and physical health is taking a huge toll. 

Why isn’t MMSD at least willing to allow what is allowed by our own local health department?  Will MMSD only be willing to listen if there are increased admissions to mental health facilities and treatments? Increase diagnoses of depression, anxiety and eating disorders?  We are seeing the mental health crisis in high schoolers.  We need you, as leaders in MMSD, to listen to us!